7 Design Resolutions for 2017

We’re only four days into the new year, so every resolution seems attainable. What’s another 300 and some odd days of working toward a goal. How hard could it be really?

But we here at HD HQ are hoping to make things a little easier. Throughout the year, we talk to industry experts, peruse many a Dropbox folder of project photos, and visit showrooms to see the latest and greatest, and we don’t want to waste this vast knowledge. Instead, we’ve come up with a few design resolutions that we hope to see in 2017. And in some cases, things we’re hoping we can leave in 2016. Keep these seven ideas in mind as you start the new year.

1. More color, please. It was refreshing to see all the bold patterns and vibrant tones from the properties mentioned in our Paris roundup in the December issue. IfParisians can play around with color and still keep things chic, there’s no reason we all can’t. Even if times seem a little bleak, strong hues can rail against that notion. There’s a reason greenery was named Pantone’s color of the year, after all.

The Hôtel Saint-Marc by Dimore Studio in Paris. Photo by Philippe Servant.

2. Uproot conventional wisdom. We already know that co-working, co-living, co-everything spaces are popular, but let’s push those ideas even further. Truly innovating what it means to work and socialize is outdoor furniture company Landscape Forms. Think covered outdoor areas, which are solar powered and offer wifi, where you can host meetings or social gatherings in the middle of the day, rain or shine.

An outdoor shelter from Landscape Forms

3. Think like a startup. If you want to know what hotels should be doing in 2017, look no further than Airbnb, which is on its way to becoming a full-fledged travel company. Recently, the home-sharing company introduced Trips, which offers Experiences (setting up activities for guests) and Places (recommendations that help you live like a local) with plans to add Flights and Services in the near future. Then, CEO Brian Chesky took to Twitter to ask his followers what Airbnb should launch in 2017, receiving as many as 2,000 replies as of December 30th. There’s no better way to directly talk to a consumer than through the most ubiquitous medium of them all.

A geo dome yurt in New York listed on Airbnb.

4. Health matters. Health-related resolutions, as popular as they are, never last. That’s why we hope 2017 brings more wellness-focused hotel offerings. Travelers care about their well-being, and with Even, Equinox, an 1 Hotels leading the way, we can only hope this attitude continues to transcend design.

The wellness-focused 1 Hotel South Beach.

5. Rein in the midcentury modern. This isn’t a rebuke against midcentury modern.I love a good hairpin leg. There is still a place for the midcentury in the 21st one, but let’s push the envelope in 2017 by channeling the Memphis movement, Piet Mondrian, or even that ’80s neon vibe.

The Drago does this trend nicely.

6. Brooklyn is dead, long live Brooklyn. It’s time to retire the industrial, rustic, reclaimed wood look that we can probably blame on Brooklyn hipsters. Instead, let’s stick with the more modern, residential aesthetic that we’ve been seeing.